Natural regions of Chile
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Because Chile extends from a point about 625 kilometers north of the Tropic of Capricorn to a point hardly more than 1,400 kilometers north of the Antarctic Circle, within its territory can be found a broad selection of the earth's climates. In 1950, CORFO defined six natural regions in continental Chile: Norte Grande, Norte Chico, Núcleo Central, Concepción y La Frontera, Los Lagos and Los Canales. Although this territorial division was replaced by the current Regions of Chile, in the present continues being used as reference.
These are (ordered from north to south and reduced to five natural regions): [1]
Natural Regions | Regions of Chile | Characteristics |
---|---|---|
Norte Grande (Far North) | Arica-Parinacota Region | Desert climate, coastal cliffs, high coast range, intermediate depression and Andes.
Plateaus in the Andes. Salt flats, copper and saltpeter deposits in the interior. |
Tarapacá Region | ||
Antofagasta Region | ||
North Atacama Region | ||
Copiapó River (27° S) | ||
Norte Chico (Near North) | South Atacama Region | Semi-arid climate. Coast range and Andes merge, tranversal east-west valleys
instead of intermediate depression. No volcanism. |
Coquimbo Region | ||
North Valparaíso Region | ||
Aconcagua River (33° S) | ||
Zona Central (Central Chile) | South Valparaíso Region | Mediterranean climate and Matorral vegetation. Coast range
and Andes separes to the south, fertile intermediate depression. |
Santiago Metropolitan Region | ||
O'Higgins Region | ||
Maule Region | ||
North Bío-Bío Region | ||
Bío-Bío River (37° S) | ||
Zona Sur (Southern Zone) | South Bío-Bío Region | Temperate oceanic climate and Valdivian vegetation. Coast range and Andes are low,
intermediate depression near sea level. Glacial lakes, intensive volcanic and geotermal activity. |
Araucanía Region | ||
Los Ríos Region | ||
North Los Lagos Region | ||
Chacao Channel (42° S) | ||
Zona Austral (Austral Zone) | South Los Lagos Region | Subpolar oceanic climate and Magellanic vegetation. Glacial landskape; Coast range consists
of islands, intermediate depression under sea level. Fjords and ice fields in the Andes. |
Aisén Region | ||
Magallanes Region |
Each has its own characteristic vegetation, fauna, climate, and, despite the omnipresence of both the Andes and the Pacific, its own distinct topography.
Contents |
[edit] Norte Grande
Most of the region is covered by the Atacama Desert and has a dry arid climate. The coast range has peaks over 2000 m and ends in cliffs in the coast. There are large salt flats in the Intermediate depression and the Andes. Norte Grande has Chile's highest mountains including Ojos del Salado (6,891 m) but host also the Altiplano and puna high plateaus.
[edit] Norte Chico
The region has Semi-arid climate, characterized by the transition from the Atacama Desert to the Mediterranean Matorral vegetation. The coast range and the Andes merges in this zone leaving no space for the Intermediate depression which is "replaced" by several tranversal (east-west) valleys. No volcanism.
[edit] Zona Central
Mediterranean climate, vegetation of Chilean Matorral. The Intermediate depression of Central Chile extends from Santiago to the south as a fertile region and is considered the agricultural heartland of Chile.
[edit] Zona Sur
Temperate oceanic climate, vegetation of Valdivian temperate rain forests. The coast range is lower than further north with no peak over 1,500 m. The Intermediate depression is close to sea level. There are features from the last glacial maximum in the Andes and the Intermediate depression such as morraines and glacial lakes. Intensive volcanism in the Andes in form of volcanoes and hot springs.
[edit] Zona Austral
Covers all of Chilean Patagonia plus Chiloé Island. Zona austral has an subpolar oceanic climate and a vegetation of Magellanic subpolar forests in the west and Patagonian grasslands in the east. The former Patagonian Ice Sheet have eroded the coast range so that it now of islands and is not present south of Taitao Peninsula. The Intermediate depression is under the sea level. Fjords penetrates the Andes where thera are also two ice sheets and several glacial lakes.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Note that the correspondence between regions is approximate in general.
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